Trump: Tillerson ‘never threatened to resign’

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson “never threatened to resign,” President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter Thursday morning, labeling NBC News reporting to that effect “fake news.”

“Rex Tillerson never threatened to resign. This is Fake News put out by @NBCNews. Low news and reporting standards. No verification from me,” the president wrote online.

NBC, in its report published Wednesday morning, cited multiple sources who said Tillerson had come close to stepping down over the summer over frustrations with Trump and that he opted to remain in his office only after conversations with Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials. NBC also reported that Tillerson had called Trump a “moron” after a meeting at the Pentagon with the president’s national security team.

The report prompted Tillerson to hold a press conference Wednesday at which he denied that he had ever considered resigning. He pointedly did not outright deny having called the president a moron, although State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said later Wednesday that Tillerson had not made the remark and that the secretary “does not use that kind of language.”

Trump told reporters Wednesday during his trip to Las Vegas that he has “total confidence in Rex” and that he was “very honored by his comments” earlier in the day.